Hong Kong Air Pollution Worse Than Ever

"The air quality in Hong Kong is worse than it has ever been since records began, according to official figures revealed on Friday. Much of the pollution comes from factories just over the border in Southern China, though heavy traffic in the city itself is also to blame. Officials fear that the poor air quality could threaten Hong Kong’s position as an international finance center.

Hong Kong’s acting environment secretary has proposed a ban on running engines of parked vehicles, and environmental groups are calling on the government to ban heavy diesel vehicles from driving in busy districts during peak traffic hours.

Something certainly needs to be done quickly, especially as an estimated 10,000 deaths per year in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China can be attributed to air pollution. And the Hong Kong Environment Protection Department says the pollution may be even worse than these new figures reveal, because they only reflect the level of pollutant that posed the greatest health risk."

ORIGINAL SOURCE: Earth First